Restoration Of God's Perfect Purpose

Restoration Of God's Perfect Purpose

by Dan Neighbors

Did you know that you were created for worship? Worship is the reason that we are here. It is the foundation with which we are able to build our relationship with God. I love Genesis 1:27-28 because within them we can see God's desire for a relationship with us! You see, proper representation and imitation of the Creator of the universe demands an intimate relationship. Without a deep and developing, personal knowledge of God; we cannot truly bear His image.
 
This intimate relationship was beautifully established by God Himself and offered to the first humans, Adam & Eve. It was a perfect opportunity in the most perfect place to personally know our perfect God. Through our worship (Genesis 1:28-31; Genesis 3:8), Adam & Eve would begin to develop their intimate relationship with their Father; but the choice to sin and listen to self (Genesis 3:1-7) separated them from the presence of God (Genesis 3:22-24) and destroyed their ability to worship. Their sin and our sin marred the image of God and broke our intimate relationship with Him.  

This last Sunday, during the Gospel Project, we learned about the devastating effect of sin on our lives. Because of our sin, our ability to worship God is eliminated. We are enslaved to sin, controlled by self,  and more passionate about serving Satan than seeking after God (Ephesians 2; Romans 3). Thankfully, through the work of Jesus Christ, our relationship with God has been reestablished allowing us to worship Him with our life and in His presence once again! The problem is that we still struggle with sin. When we allow sin to make itself comfortable and dwell in our lives, our worship and relationship with the perfect, holy God of the universe will be dramatically affected.  

Too often, I believe we read our bibles, attend worship services, and serve in church all while allowing sin to go with us. We go to church smiling and singing with the people we like while avoiding the people we have grudges against. We share words of wisdom in our small groups while ignoring how we lashed out at the kids before dinner. We try to cover up our depression and anxiety instead of trusting God and others to help us through it. We look good on the outside and check our spiritual boxes at church each Sunday while having no room for Him throughout the rest of the week. Many times without realizing it, sin ravages our ability to worship God and build our relationship with Him. Too often we allow doubt, unbelief, idolatry, and rebellion to creep in and pull us away from God, forgetting that we need Him and we're created for Him. Sin is real. It pulls us away from God, but there is hope. 

As you go through this week, don’t forget that God offered hope to Adam & Eve (Genesis 3:15). One day, Jesus would come to defeat sin and restore our lost relationship with our Creator. Today we know that our God, Who is rich in mercy, has already provided a way back to a perfect relationship in paradise with Him through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:1-7)! Through Jesus we now have access to the Father (Ephesians 2:13-22). Our ability to worship and develop an intimate relationship with God has been restored! Through Christ, we are able to fight sin! Through Jesus, we have the freedom to passionately pursue Him! Through our Savior, we have been rescued and given a new life to finally be able to fulfill our purpose and bear the image of God!  

So how do we do this? How do we put sin behind us and focus on truly worshiping our God & Savior? I'd start simply with washing your heart and mind with the truth of scripture. God's word gives us all the deep and brilliant insights into the character of God that we need to better worship Him and bear His image. As I mentioned above, I think we often neglect the discipline of seeking and pursuing God in the scriptures throughout the week. We neglect the spiritual nourishment of soaking in the word of God (Colossians 1:16-17), and miss the opportunity to allow the Holy Spirit to use it to fill our lives (Ephesians 5:18-21). I'd recommend etching out some specific time to spend in the word daily. I'm currently reading through the Minor Prophets, but you could start looking for God in Genesis, the Psalms, or in the book of John. There are tons of reading plans on the YouVersion App. To go along with your reading, maybe download DWELL. It's a great APP that will read you the bible and allow God's word to dwell in your heart and mind. I use it to help me focus while I'm reading my bible, or I listen to scripture throughout the day when I'm doing mindless tasks. It's up to you, but spend time soaking up God in His Word this week! You'll be glad you did.  

As you consider the thoughts above, here are a few resources to help you better worship God this week:
 
Adam's Posterity & Original Sin [Sermon by Dr. Lloyd Jones]  

Pardon All My Sins [A Valley of Vision Prayer]  

What is sin? [Bible Project Word Study]

The Story of Sin [Gospel Project Kids Video]

The Scariest Song [Fun Kids Song on Sin]

How To Rise After We Fall Into Sin [Look At The Book by John Piper]

Yearn [A Worship Song by Shane & Shane]

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